How To Travel the World from the Comfort of Your Own Home

Traveling can be a lot of fun, but there’s no avoiding the fact that it can be problematic. If you take one transatlantic flight, then you’ll already have used up your annual “share” of the world’s resources. And that’s just one trip. The impact that flying — and other travel activities — has on the environment is a good reason to reconsider our relationship with it. Some people decide to travel in low-carbon ways, such as by train or hitchhiking.

But those methods take a lot of time, which many people don’t have. An easier, carbon-neutral way to “travel” the world is to do so from the comfort of your own home. It might not be quite like the real thing, but it’s close enough. You’ll still be broadening your worldview. Plus, it’s much less tiring! Ready to travel the world from your couch? Try the tips below.

Cook Up an International Storm

One of the joys of traveling the world is the opportunity to taste different dishes. There’s something pretty special about trying local tacos in Mexico or devouring an exquisite curry in India. But then, who says that you need to fly halfway across the world to get those tastes? We live in a global society, and that means that you can find ingredients from all over the world no matter where you are. So, hit up that specialty international food store, find a great recipe, and spend the night cooking — and eating — international cuisine. You’ll get bonus points if you play local music and make some specialty drinks while you cook!

Browse the World’s Museums

If you’re a culture vulture, then you’ll love nothing more than slowly wandering through the world’s greatest museums. But did you know that many of the world’s leading art galleries and museums make their collections available online? Viewing the wonders of the Louvre online might not feel the same as visiting Paris, but it’s the next best thing. Whatever you’re interested in, you’ll find a whole host of leading institutions to choose from. The British Museum, Musée d’Orsay, and the Vatican Museums are just some of the leading institutions to put their collections online.

Bring the World’s Best Cities To Your Home

We’d all like to spend some time exploring London, Las Vegas, New York, or any of the world’s other great cities; after all, they’re the best of the best that human civilization has to offer. But don’t worry if you can’t make it to these cosmopolitan gems in person — there are plenty of online options that’ll help you to experience a touch of the city at home. Instead of visiting Las Vegas, you can watch Cirque du Soleil’s online collection, use a bonus code to help recreate that quintessential casino experience, or take a virtual trip along the Strip via YouTube. If you’re more interested in the Big Apple, then stream the Martin Scorsese and Fran Lebowitz documentary Pretend It’s a City, or join one of the Metropolitan Art Museums’ live art sessions, where you can learn all about New York’s artistic history. With a little bit of imagination, you’ll feel like you’re almost there. Almost.

Global Documentaries

If you can’t travel to other parts of the world directly, then you could always consider doing so in video form. In this day and age, there are plenty of outstanding travel documentaries that will give you the same level of insight that you’d get if you visited the place yourself — or in some cases, even more insight. It’s especially recommended to watch documentaries about places you’ll likely never get to visit first-hand, such as Antarctica. The Werner Herzog documentary Encounters at the End of the World is a good one for that.

Relive Your Travel Adventures

Finally, if you’ve already had travel adventures in the past, then why not spend the evening going through old photographs and telling the stories of your trip? All too often, we’re focused on what we’re going to do in the future, but there’s a lot of value in looking back from time to time. Your travel adventures will live on if you allow them to. Light some candles, get out the photos, and talk with your travel companions about all the fun things you’ve already done.